News from around the 32 counties of Ireland

The bright coral-colored creature, known for its needle-sharp dorsal spines, is more commonly found in the warmer waters of the Mediterranean.

It was caught in deep water near Dunmore East by the crew of the Eblana, a vessel which supplies ray and cod to Dublin chippers.
[Source: Irish Times]
WESTMEATH

The papal flag has been flying high over a Mullingar business premises since last Thursday morning – hoisted up for businessman Millie Walsh by his daughter’s boyfriend, Argentine national Nahuel Colombo, and his father, Luis Robert Colombo.

Less than 24 hours after news broke that Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio – one of their countrymen – has been selected as pope, Nahuel and Luis were over the moon with delight – a joy shared by Nahuel’s girlfriend, Koreen Walsh.

“I’m so happy: I couldn’t believe it,” said Nahuel, who is originally from Ushuaia, in the south of Argentina.
[Source: Westmeath Examiner]
WEXFORD

The friend of a man accused of the Nicola Furlong murder has been handed a three -year sentence for the sexual assault of her best friend.

James Blackston (23), a companion of Nicola Furlong murder accused Richard Hinds, was sentenced to “three years with labor” in a Japanese court last Wednesday.

He will have 150 days deducted from the sentence for time already served in custody.

The conviction related to three separate sexual assaults – two on Nicola’s friend on the night she died and one on a separate woman some weeks previous.
[Source: Wexford Echo]
WICKLOW

Ireland said goodbye to the last of the bitter frosts on Wednesday night, but there was little consolation in the days after, forecasters said.

There were minor snowfalls in several areas of the country on March 13, the worst in County Donegal, where Gardaí (police) dealt with a number of minor traffic accidents.

Snow also fell in Wicklow and Wexford, and falls from previous days continued to lie in many other counties as temperatures remained below zero. Co. Sligo was the coldest place that day, with temperatures falling to 18 degrees Fahrenheit.
[Source: Irish Independent]